Fifteen Hundred Miles an Hour

by Charles Dixon

  CHAPTER XIV.

  ACROSS THE DESERT CHADOS.

  We awoke at dawn feeling like new men, scarcely being able to realisethe fact that we were free! The events of yesterday still lingeredin our minds, like the remnants of a more than usually vivid dream.That all was real and true we could not bring ourselves to believe, soawful and inhuman seemed the doom we had so miraculously escaped. Butthe sun, as it rose in solemn splendour above the eastern edge of thisstrange world, soon dispelled our morbid thoughts and cheered us intoactivity. The view from the balcony of the _Sirius_ was grand, thoughthe country round us was sterile and desolate as the Valley of Deathbelow Remagaloth, from which we had been delivered at yester e'en! Butwe had life and liberty; the future was once more before us, full ofhopes and possibilities, and each one felt that the worst was over andbrighter prospects were now before us.

  We found everything in the _Sirius_ precisely as we had left it.Evidently the people of Edos had shunned our carriage, and desiredthat we and all our belongings might be destroyed together. This was afortunate circumstance for us, for had the _Sirius_ been dismantled andpillaged we should have been in this wilderness without food. As soonas breakfast was over we consulted together as to what was best to bedone.

  "There is no help for it, my friends," said the Doctor; "the _Sirius_is wrecked, and we shall have to leave her to her fate. Alas! she cangive us safety no longer, and we may stay in her at our peril. We maybe sure a search will be made for us, and that very quickly. Our onlycourse is to abandon her, taking with us as many absolute necessariesas we can conveniently carry among us, and set off at once towards morefertile country. The future must take care of itself entirely, and webe guided further solely by circumstances."

  "But, Doctor, is there no hope of patching her up for a little timelonger?"

  "None, Graham; our motors are worn out; our generating materialexhausted. We should require all the resources of a civilised communityto make good her defects and replenish her power."

  "Then there is nothing for it but to do as you suggest, Doctor," saidTemple; and Graham reluctantly acquiesced.

  While the Doctor and Sandy selected such articles as we were going totake, Temple and Graham went outside to reconnoitre, and to decide asto the best route we should take.

  There was little choice to be made. Radiating in every direction fromwhere we stood, the wide desert extended in one vast scene of ruinouswaste. We stood on a wide uneven rock- and sand-strewn plain, whichreached to the horizon on every side. Not a trace of vegetation couldwe detect sprouting from the bitter, ungenerous soil; not a stream ora pool cheered its wide expanse. All round the horizon were mountainsof bare and forbidding aspect; some of them crested with what lookedlike snow; others volcanic, and belching smoke and fire. The routetoward the north-east seemed the most feasible, for in that directionthe mountains were not so high, and an apparent break in the rockygirdle suggested an easier passage over them.

  "North-east it must be, Mr. Temple. We ought to reach the mountains byto-morrow afternoon, and get through yonder pass to the country beyondthem by evening of the next day, at latest."

  "I think so, too," said Temple. "And now that is decided, let me takethe opportunity of our few moments alone together, sincerely to thankyou for our deliverance from death yesterday. You have saved my life,Graham, and anything that I can do in return I shall be only toopleased. I have not cared to speak thus to you before the Doctor, as Iknow the subject is distasteful to him. Whenever a woman is concerned,no matter how remotely, all his good-humour and generosity vanish. Heabsolutely hates women, and all to do with them."

  "Pray, Mr. Temple, do not thank me. I was but the agent of ourdeliverance, after all. Thank this wonderful priest, Echri, for it washe who saved us through Volin?'s mystic ring. Why, or how, we know not;yet I am as sure of it as I am of my own existence. I cannot expectyou and the rest to be so credulous as to believe in its virtues," hecontinued, looking at the ring and twirling it round his finger as hespoke, "but the feelings that came over me when I broke those fetters,yesternight, can never be expressed in words. Ask me not to attempt todescribe them; for I desire to keep what I then felt a sacred secret."

  "But talking of Volin?, Graham; I am really very sorry for you. Itrecalls my own young days when I wooed and won the charming girl whobecame my wife, but only to die with her infant son in twelve shortfleeting months, and to leave me in lonely sorrow. I have not got overthat trouble, Graham, and I never shall, twenty years old though it is."

  "Then, Mr. Temple, you can slightly understand my infatuation, mysincere love for this girl of Gathma. Is she not worthy of all the lovethat man can give? She is as good and as true as she is handsome. Andyet, all now is over between us--all is over, and I shall see her nomore!"

  "But you must cheer up. Don't let the Doctor see your weakness, for itwill only make unpleasantness amongst us. Things may come right yet.You know the old Earth-saying about all things coming to him who waits?Something tells me that even now we have not seen the last of Edos, orof the King of Gathma's daughter."

  "That you may be a true prophet, then, is my one prayer. For I loveVolin?, and without her my life is dreary and desolate as this desertaround us."

  "Well, Graham, we had better get back to the _Sirius_ now. I daresaythe Doctor is ready to start by this time; and if you take my adviceyou will let the subject of Volin?, and all that happened in Edos,form no part of our conversation. The Doctor has strange ideas--whatman of genius has not?--and at present it is best to humour him, forwe require all his undivided energies to bring us safely through ourperils."

  So conversing, Temple and Graham walked back towards the _Sirius_,where we found the Doctor and Sandy had arranged into four packs thevarious necessaries he had selected from the stores.

  "Well, friends, what is the result of your exploration?" said theDoctor, smiling, and looking up from one of the packages he wasstrapping together.

  "Travelling will be slow, Doctor," answered Graham, "for the groundis covered with loose sand and rough broken rock. Our best course isnorth-east, towards the rent or defile in the mountains yonder. Weshould reach them by to-morrow afternoon."

  "Then take a cup of this meat essence, and we will be off," said theDoctor. "I think we have got all that we shall require for immediateuse. Water will be scarce, but I think we have a substitute. Now havea last look round, and satisfy yourselves that you are leaving nothingyou may value specially behind."

  At last we each shouldered our package, strapping it on our back like aknapsack, and with rifle in hand we turned from the _Sirius_ and beganour march. Tears dimmed the Doctor's eyes as he looked for the lasttime upon his cherished handiwork, every bolt and plate of which wasdear to him; and not one of us left the good carriage without feelingsof regret, for it seemed as though we were turning our backs on home!

  Hour after hour we trudged along, now sinking knee-deep in fine sand,then slipping and stumbling as we slowly picked our way across stonyground, the sun beating down upon us from a clear and rainless sky.After exerting ourselves to the very utmost, we found that we had notadvanced more than twelve miles from the _Sirius_ by mid-day; and owingto the extreme clearness of the heated atmosphere, this distance didnot appear much more than six. We halted to rest under the shadow of abig mass of rock which lay embedded in the sand, and here we ate ourfood and each drank a cup of wine and water from his flask. Of purewater we had only one small cask, holding a gallon, which Sandy carriedslung from his shoulder. This we reserved for any emergency, but wehoped to find a stream or pool before nightfall.

  We allowed ourselves one hour's rest, then resumed our march, andcontinued struggling on till sunset. During the afternoon we crosseda stretch of better ground, and by the time we halted for the night,we seemed to have done at least half the distance that separated the_Sirius_ from the mountains. We encamped in a rocky hollow. Tent orfire we had none: we could not carry the one, and no materials for theother were to be got in this wilderness. We ate our cold
supper andthen fell asleep, with nothing but the starry sky above us, and withthe soft sand for our beds. It was a lovely night, warm and windlessand still, so that we experienced little or no discomfort, and awokerefreshed, just as the rising sun was tipping the distant hills withgold. Not one drop of water, not the slightest sign of moisture hadwe discovered, and the night had been dry and dewless. Not a blade ofvegetation, or a trace of any living thing, could yet be seen---all wasdesert and barren.

  With no fire to warm or cook anything, our morning meal was not quiteso savoury as it might have been, but we were hungry, and hungry menare rarely fastidious. Meat essence dissolved in a little water, withbiscuits and a draught of watered wine, formed our repast, and as soonas it was done we picked up our belongings and made an early start. Wewere anxious to get as much ground covered as possible before the sunbecame so oppressively powerful; besides, death stared us in the faceon every side in this terrible wilderness, and delay might prove fatalto us all.

  Slowly, terribly slowly, mile after mile was passed, and the mountainsbefore us began to show out in more detail. They were barren andsterile enough. Everything seemed withered and blasted, and the sun infierce splendour travelled across the waterless heavens, and burnt intothe bare rocks and sands, wasting his life-nourishing heat on a regionof eternal desolation. By mid-day we were so fatigued that we sank downbeside a big stone to rest our weary limbs and throbbing heads. Eat wecould not; our mouths were dry and parched, and we craved for water.

  There was but a quart of the precious fluid left--a quart of lukewarm,half-putrid water, between four thirsty men and a panting dog! Sandybegged hard for a drop for his dog, and he moistened poor Rover'smouth with a spoonful; but we ourselves tried to slake our awfulthirst with a few of the Doctor's lozenges. They answered admirably;but their effect was only momentary, and by the time each little cakewas sucked away we were as thirsty as before. The sun beat down uponus remorselessly, and to save ourselves from being scorched to deathwe scraped a hole under the shadow of the stone, and there, huddledtogether in the scanty shade, we lay waiting for the sun to sink lowerin the west before we tried to drag our weary feet a little farther.For three hours we remained in this hole in the sand; then once morewe started on, moistening our mouths from our nearly empty flasks, andmunching a biscuit as we went.

  Towards night the temperature became much lower, and we were ableto get along a little faster; but every mile that we went we foundour burdens becoming heavier. Yet we struggled on; nor did we seek acamping-place until we reached the lower slopes of the mountains. Stillall was desolation; closer scrutiny only confirmed the opinions formedby a more distant view, for the hills were as sterile and barren as theplain we had crossed.

  "Never mind, my friends," said the Doctor, "we have crossed the worstpart. Here, amid the mountains, we are sure of more shade, and shallmost probably find water, if not on these slopes, surely on the otherside."

  "Well, Doctor, if we don't find water soon, it will be all over withus," remarked Temple. "I myself don't feel equal to another day likethis has been."

  "None of us know the compass of our strength, or what we can do, untilspurred on by the goads of necessity, Temple," the Doctor answered.

  We selected a sheltered nook among the rocks, each smoothing the sandinto the semblance of a couch, and there we used the remainder of thewater to make our essence, and then stretching our stiff and wearylimbs, soon fell asleep.

  Not one of us awoke again until the next day was far advanced. The sunwas four hours high towards the zenith ere we roused from our slumber.The long sleep had done us good; our heads were easier; our thirstnot so intense. We drank the remainder of our wine and water, ate afew biscuits, and then prepared for our onward march. The rocky passbetween two rugged mountains lay straight before us, and in single filewe went our way. At first the precipitous sides of the mountains nearlymet overhead, and the path was little more than a gloomy fissure; butthis soon widened out as we ascended, and we eventually found ourselvesin a broad valley, with an uninterrupted view for miles.

  Our great exertions in walking over the rock-strewn ground soon beganto create acute thirst. We had no fluid now of any kind, and only adozen lozenges were left. These we shared, three to each; and very soonthe cravings for moisture triumphed and they were gone. We had nothingwhatever now to assuage thirst! We must find water, or die!

  Times without number we consulted together as to the propriety ofthrowing away our arms and ammunition; but still we continued to carrythem, first in one hand, then in the other. Then one or the other ofus said he could go no farther, and begged the rest to leave him to diein peace. But we cheered and rallied him whose hopes of deliverancewere ebbing, as best we could, and still toiled on. Upwards! onwards!filled with all the torments of a raging thirst, we toiled, our feetheavy as though shod with lead; but still no sign of life--the samedesolate wilderness, the same hot sun, the same bare rocks and stonyway, continuing on and on apparently to eternity! All that livelongday we struggled on beneath a scorching sun. Towards evening we werestartled by a shout from Sandy:

  "The water! Doctor, the shining water! See, there! There! below ye onthe left."

  We looked where Sandy pointed, and there--could we trust our eyes? orwas it but the fancy of a scorched and sun-disordered brain?--there,about a mile away, was a beautiful pool below the hillside, itsshimmering waters glistening like silver in the setting sun! Weliterally danced for joy, and, nerved to new strength by the sight ofthe welcome waters, we ran helter-skelter over the rocks and stonestowards them. When two hundred yards away we threw down our rifles, andslipped out of the straps that held our burdens, and each raced as forhis life to be the first to revel in the feast!

  Graham, being by far the strongest, reached the brink first; butinstead of kneeling down to quench his thirst, he threw himself to theground with a piteous groan of despair, saying:

  "We are lost! my comrades; we are lost! Unless we can cool our burningtongues with mercury!"

  Alas! Graham's words were only too true, for the lake, which must havecovered some hundreds of acres of ground, was one thick, fluid mass ofquicksilver! We sat down by this costly, yet horrid pool, too overcomewith bitter disappointment, and with the exertion of hastening thither,to speak; and not one of us stirred until the sun had set and nightapproached.

  "Doctor," exclaimed Temple at last, in a weak and weary voice, "we cango no further; we had best remain here and die."

  But Doctor Hermann made no answer. He was gazing into the lake at ourfeet in a half-conscious manner, muttering incoherently to himselfabout "majestic phenomenon" and "wonderful sight," and then he sankback unconscious! The scene now became intensely horrible. Temple satwith pale hollow cheeks, and sunken eyes, his chin resting upon hisknees; Sandy was struggling with Graham to reach the lake, swearinghe would have water if he killed him in reaching it. But poor Sandywas weak as a child, and Graham in very kindness hurled him to theground, where he lay like one dead. The only man with any control overhimself, or with any strength, was Graham, and he stood amongst hisfallen companions, gaunt and haggard, with tears of sympathy for themtrickling down his wan, wasted cheeks, and white face turned upwards tothe sky.

  "Oh, God!" he cried, in words that rattled hoarsely in his parched andburning throat--"Oh, God! give us water, or be merciful and let usquickly die. Oh, Echri!" he panted, "servant of God, if your poweradmits, hear the voice of him who wears your sacred ring, crying forhelp in the wilderness, and send him succour. Help!--me--and them--oh,God!--Echri--ring--Volin?;" but the last words became but rattling,meaningless sounds, and he too was overcome with faintness and thirst,and sank down among the rest to die!

  A few minutes later, Temple alone remained conscious; but he felttoo weak to move, and he sat there in his agony, watching the brightmerciless stars come forth one by one, and the distant yellow ball ofEarth rise steadily above the mountains, until a drowsiness overcamehim, and he mercifully fell into a troubled sleep.

  How long he slum
bered we shall never know, but he woke trembling withcold, roused from his sleep by the chilly blast that was howling andshrieking round him. The heavens were of an inky blackness, save atirregular intervals, when the blue lightning lit up the banks of cloudfor a fleeting moment. The cold wind, evidently charged with moisture,had brought new life upon its wings for Temple, and he felt refreshed.He was still too weak to move, and sat shivering in astonished silence,viewing the progress of the storm. Peal after peal of thunder shookthe ground beneath him: flash after flash of lightning glanced alongthe lake of mercury, and illumined its smooth waveless surface likea mirror. Then a few big heavy drops of rain spattered on the rocks,one of them striking him full on his forehead. A minute or so later,preceded by a warning roar, the tempest broke in all its fury. The rainbeat down on the parched ground, wetting him and his companions to theskin, collecting into pools, and flowing in tiny rills and torrentsbetween the rocks, and forming channels across the firmer beds of sand.

  The water revived Temple like doses of some magic elixir, and hecrawled to the nearest pool and drank his fill of this sweet,refreshing nectar from the sky! Then amidst the tempest strife, andby the lightning's light, he dragged his cold and aching body towardshis fallen comrades, his cap full of water, and beginning with Graham,who was lying face downwards, he gently parted his dry cracked lipsasunder, and poured a few drops between his teeth. The effect wasinstantaneous, and he showed signs of returning consciousness; bybathing his forehead, he was soon able to speak.

  "Thank you, Mr. Temple," he faintly murmured, "I shall be better now.Whoever expected rain in such a region! But leave me, and lend the poorDoctor some assistance. I am afraid he is in a bad way."

  The rain had served Sandy, too, in a remarkable way, and we heardhim groping in the darkness, and drinking from his hands, which hefilled from one of the numerous pools around us. In half an hour allof us could stand except the Doctor; he was alive, but unable to moveor speak. Then the storm ceased, the sky cleared, and a yellow lightover the east heralded the sun. Daylight revealed the heaviness of thestorm. We were surrounded by pools of sparkling rain-water, resting inthe crevices of the rocks, and the mountain sides were furrowed withcrystal streams, whose volume was fast becoming less as the sandsabsorbed them. Sandy, by Graham's direction, crawled off to searchfor the water-cask and the packs we had thrown away the previousevening. The cask we broke up, and with the wood we made a small fire.By careful management we contrived to heat sufficient water to makehalf-a-gallon of the meat essence, and a cup of this soon put new lifeinto the Doctor. Poor Rover was almost dead, and lay helpless where hehad crouched down by Sandy's side, hours before, and it took all hismaster's care to bring him round.

  By the time we had drunk our soup the sun had risen, and his generousrays--the rays we were but so ready to curse yesterday--soon dried ourdripping garments, and warmed our bodies back to more vigorous life. Wealso dried and oiled our firearms, and packed our knapsacks afresh. Butwe were all too weak and exhausted to march, and we decided to stay andrest ourselves for a few hours. We had food and water in abundance, andif we could only find some fuel we should want little more. We left theside of the lake, and took up our quarters under the lee of a huge massof rock, and here we stayed until noon.

  Although feeling weak, we were then determined to try and push on oncemore. Could we only get out of these desert regions, and enter a morefertile country, all might yet be well. Then we could rest to ourheart's desire, and recruit our wasted strength. Feebly we started,tottering under our loads, but thankful to God that our lives had beenspared once more, and that the pangs of a burning thirst were gone.Truly all things seemed working in our favour; for had the rain fallentwelve hours later, not one of us would have survived, and our boneswould now be bleaching in the sun on that desert waste!

  The ground became more even as we crawled along, and by creepingsteadily forward we covered nearly twenty miles before sunset. Thenthe country began to improve, and the distant hills appeared coveredwith forests to the snow-line. Grasses and weeds peeped here and thereamong the stones, and a mile further on we saw a few stunted bushes,something like a clump of gorse, on the hillside. Eagerly, and withnew-born strength, we now pushed on, striving every nerve to reach somesort of cover before darkness made us halt for the night.

  We were not disappointed, and before the short twilight had faded, wefound ourselves on the borders of a dense scrub, studded here and therewith small trees. Here we camped close to a pool of rain-water, andmade a glorious fire of dead branches, with which we cooked our eveningmeal. Then, stretching our weary limbs on beds of leaves, we rested forthe night in comparative comfort and luxury.

  We were up early. Thanks to splendid constitutions, the effects ofour sufferings in the desert were passing rapidly away, although ourpale and haggard faces continued to reflect our recent hardships formany days. The easiest route still led upwards, and after two hours'walking through a region rich with mineral wealth, we came to theborders of a forest on the crest of the hill, and looked down upon awide and fruitful plain, covered with woods and fields and clustersof trees. Three miles below us was a large city--evidently a greatmanufacturing centre, for there were furnaces and tall chimney-shaftsbelching smoke and flame, and we could even hear the distant hum androar of busy industry! The change from desert, barren wilderness, tofat and fruitful land was startlingly sudden, and for many momentswe stood on the crest of the hill, looking at the scene below us insilent amazement! Whilst we were discussing the appearance of thissmoke-beleaguered city, and wondering to ourselves what industriesits people were engaged in, we were alarmed by cries of terror from athicket a little way to the left, and almost directly afterwards a manrushed out towards us, pursued by a strange-looking beast, somethinglike a wild boar, only with long-twisted horns growing from itsforehead.

  Comprehending in a moment the peril the poor fellow was in, Grahamwithout more ado pointed his rifle at the beast and fired, cleverlybringing it down dead. The hunter seemed paralysed with terror atthe report of the rifle and its effects, and stood looking at us inamazement.

  "We are friends," said the Doctor, with hands held out towards him."Come without fear and give us greeting. You are safe."

  Hearing his own language spoken, the man advanced, saying as he did so:

  "Strangers, my heart is full of gratitude for the service ye haverendered. Command me to your bidding, and I obey. I am from Pamax,yonder. My name is Kios--and yours?"

  "We are strangers to your country and your world; we come from the starwhich you call Ramos, which we call Earth; and we come as brothers, infriendship and in peace," answered the Doctor in an assuring voice.

  "Are ye, then, the men of Ramos, with whose evil fame all Gathma rings?The men of Ramos who escaped death at the crag Remagaloth? Are ye theslayers of Osa? If so be ye are, I know your story as well as any manin Edos, for we listened to each word of your trial and sentence herein Pamax."

  "The same are we; but what know you of our captivity there? Haveyou any tidings from Edos?" queried Graham, who ill-concealed hisimpatience to hear any possible news of his beloved.

  "Men of Ramos, I can tell ye much; but ye look faint and weary. Followme, and rest your tired limbs, and I will tell ye all I know."

  So saying, the good-natured hunter (for such we judged him to be)turned and beckoned us to follow him, throwing the huge dead beastacross his mighty shoulders as he went. He led the way to a camp far inthe thicket, where a wood fire was roasting some animal before a cosytent.

  "Enter, men of Ramos; enter, and share a poor man's hospitality."

  Gladly we did so, and after taking off our knapsacks, we seatedourselves on some soft skins and listened to his story.

  "First, I would ask ye how ye came hither. Edos is many days' journeyhence for they who needs must travel by stealth or on foot; Remagalothis yet further. I heard that ye escaped into the sky in a carriage ofcunning workmanship. Came ye hence in that?"

  "You speak quite truly, Kios," said
Graham; "we escaped in the carriagethat bore us from Earth to Gathma; but it conveyed us to a desertregion which for days we had to cross on foot, nearly perishing of heatand thirst on the way."

  "The barren ground of which ye speak is the desert Chados, and I marvelmuch to learn that ye have crossed it and yet do live! Ye are now inthe woods called Theloth, the sole right and privilege of huntingtherein being conferred on me by the King. I supply the palace at Edoswith wild meat and herbs, and I came from the city but yesterday."

  "Then the distance cannot, surely, be so far," exclaimed Temple.

  "We travel quickly in Gathma," Kios answered, "and I know full well yecould not have come by the same means as I----"

  "So you left Edos so recently? Then do you know aught of----?" saidGraham in eagerness.

  But Kios, with upraised finger, said, "Interrupt me not. I will tell yeall I know, but I must speak in mine own way.

  "The news of your miraculous escape from death," continued Kios, "ison every tongue, both in Edos and throughout civilised Gathma; and,moreover, it is said that Echri with his wondrous arts did save ye,for one of ye did wear a sacred ring of his upon your finger. Ah! thatis the same--all men of Edos know it well," said Kios, as Graham heldout his hand on which the curious talisman glittered. "The King andhis ministers are wrath enough; but there are those who say his royalanger is not so bitter as it seemeth, and that Volin?, his daughter,hath softened his heart toward ye. Yet, in this, I only repeat thegossip of the streets of Edos, and know not its truth. A prince, byname Perodii, fans the King's smouldering wrath by taunts, and what,methinks, are probably falsehoods concerning ye. No man in all Edos,save the King, is so powerful as he, nor is there a bigger blackguardwithin its walls. Be warned against him, for his soul is full of evil,and he seeks your ruin. At his instigation, troops are searching thecountry through to find ye; and if ye be taken captive once more, nomercy will be shown ye if Perodii can prevent it. I hate this Perodiiwith a deadly bitter hatred, for he ruined my only child! Curse him!"

  "Know you aught of Volin?, the King's daughter; or of Kaosp, a worthycommander of the troops in Edos?" asked Graham anxiously.

  "Of Volin? I have no tidings; of Kaosp I know nought but ill. He liesin prison, thrown there, some say, for treason to the King; yet othershave it that Perodii's lying tongue hath forged his fetters."

  "We are exceedingly grateful for the news you have told us," said theDoctor warmly, "and your tidings will prove a great service to us.But we would ask you for further information about the city belowus--Pamax, I think you call it. Is it safe for us to venture therein?"

  "No; ye go there at peril of your liberty and lives. Know ye not thatPamax doth great trade with Edos; the King's troops are even there nowin quest of ye. Pamax is a city of rough working-people, where dirt andsqualour are as plentiful as gold and splendour in Edos. The peoplethat dwell in Pamax are cunning workers in metals; the hills around usare honeycombed with their mines. Electric ways radiate from this cityin all directions, to convey its merchandise to every part of Gathma.It is a wondrous city, and its men are clever artificers; yet they arelow of mind, and would, in their stupid ignorance, hand ye over to theguards at once. But four days' journey hence is the bright and noblecity of Helmath, full of scientific and highly-cultured people, a greatcentre of knowledge, and a lofty seat of learning. Thither bend yoursteps; for those therein may welcome ye and plead your cause with theKing. Tarry with me here for a day or so, as my guests. Revive yourwasted strength, and rest your wearied bodies with me. I promise yesafety in the woods of Theloth, and will send ye on your way to Helmathwith light and hopeful hearts."

  We consulted together for a moment, and then unanimously decided toaccept the kind invitation Kios had so generously offered us. We neededrest, we sought safety; and here we could obtain both, for a few daysat least. We had already unbounded confidence in this open-heartedhunter, and felt that our safety was doubly assured through his bitterhatred of Perodii.